«The 2000 Sculpture»
WALTER DE MARIA (1935-2013):
The 2000 Sculpture by the American artist Walter de Maria is one of the world's largest floor sculptures. It belongs to a series of works in which the artist arranged changing sets of elements in specific patterns. The 2000 Sculpture comprises 2,000 plaster rods, each 50 cm long and 11.8 to 12 cm high and they are laid out across 500 square meters (10 x 50 m) in twenty rows of 100 plaster elements each. Despite its size, the observer perceives The 2000 Sculpture as a unit that includes the surrounding architectural space, adding a spatial dimension to the experience. More than any other thing, besides the exhibition space itself, it is light that shapes the perception of The 2000 Sculpture. Walter de Maria therefore stipulated that the sculpture must be shown by daylight only. This was to make sure that visitors could see the plaster rods' varied shades of white and the shadows they cast, as well as how they keep changing according to the weather and the time of day. Due to there only being a handful of pillar-free venues with sufficient floor space to house The 2000 Sculpture worldwide, a place was deliberately created in Zellweger Park in Uster where the sculpture could be exhibited permanently.